Find This $10 Coin Among Your Spare Chang and You Could Be Looking at a Serious Payday

The next time you’re roaming around that spare change jar or the bottom of your purse, you may want to take an extra beat to see if you have an ultra-rare $10 Gold Liberty Eagle coin sitting around. Why? If the latest online auctions are any indication, you may walk away with $8,000 — or more.

The $10 Gold Liberty Eagle is an extra special coin in U.S. history because it was the first gold coin ever issued by the U.S. Mint, all the way back in 1792. The design was created by an engraver named Christian Gobrecht, and it features the profile bust of Lady Liberty on one side and — as the name suggests — an eagle on the other. The coin was in circulation until 1933, at which point engravings ceased, and while that means there are quite a few of these coins floating around, the ones from the late 1700s and early 1800s are much rarer and way more valuable.

Recently, a seller in California listed a Gold Liberty Eagle coin on eBay from 1857 and made $7,988 off of it; over three dozen people bid on it. Plus, what’s even more interesting about these coins is the fact that the design slowly changed over time, meaning that there are different “eras” of these mints to look for. For example, despite the coin’s name, the design switched from having Lady Liberty on it to what was referred to as an “Indian head” in 1907.

In addition to this history, coin collecting all around can be quite lucrative, and this mint isn’t the only one that can get you some cash. In fact, a penny from 1969 could make you over $126,000 nowadays, and even a few rarer quarters could be worth at least a few thousand dollars. It’s worth a shot to see what you have!